Month: October 2025

Interviews can be very intimidating, and because of that, it is important for the interviewers to have an open mind, be compassionate, and listen. In the last interview that I had a chance to participate in, the interview panel all got notebooks of the three candidates that we would be interviewing. When looking at the candidates on paper, it can be very misleading and can lead to an early bias of the candidates before the interview even begins. When we conducted the three interviews, the gentleman who had the most experience and appeared he have the best chance to get the position, interviewed poorly and displayed a few red flags that were concerning. In contrast, the candidate with the least amount of experience did not stand out well on paper, but through their responses, it was evident that they would be a great fit for the position and the company. Although they occasionally stuttered and got a little too deep into the weeds of some of the questions, it was evident that this individual was very nervous during the interview.

The lesson here is to remain unbiased and make a good decision based on the facts, what they said, and how they presented themselves. It is helpful to keep a structured interview so that each candidate has a fair chance to answer the same question. Even though unstructured interviews give the hiring manager the opportunity to get to know each candidate better and to get a better understanding of each person in a unique way. However, according to the article How to Take the Bias Out of Interviews, “while unstructured interviews consistently receive the highest ratings for perceived effectiveness from hiring managers, dozens of studies have found them to be among the worst predictors of actual on-the-job performance — far less reliable than general mental ability tests, aptitude tests, or personality tests” (Bohet).

Sources
Bohnet, I. (2016, April 18). How to take the bias out of interviews. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/04/how-to-take-the-bias-out-of-interviews

As with every company, having a great manager is key to success. As mentioned in First, Break All the Rules : What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, “The most important difference between a great manager and a great leader is one of focus. Great managers look inward. They look inside the company, into each individual, into the differences in style, goals, needs, and motivation of each person” (Buckingham and Coffman). A proper job description allows each manager to understand what is expected of each employee, and how to get the best out of them.

When developing and maintaining job descriptions can be a difficult task that can often be placed at the bottom of the to-do list. This can specifically be difficult for companies facing certain changes. Some ways to keep up on maintaining job descriptions are to look at how the position is changing, if any. Ways to track change could be to look at data from interviews, observations, surveys, and more. If there is little change in the job, then it would be good to review positions annually or when filling an open position. If the data shows that there is a significant change in the job description, then this would be something that I would want to do right away.

If job descriptions are not kept up, it could lead to undesirable outcomes. As mentioned in Job worth doing: Update descriptions, “For example, “If you don’t keep it up-to-date and you have [an employment] claim against you, that nonupdated job description can do as much damage as a good one could benefit you. It can work to help in your defense or it can work to help the employee” filing the grievance, Flewelling says” (Tyler, 2023). When considering the development or maintenance of job descriptions, it is critical to develop roles that will align with human needs by ensuring work remains manageable, is engaging, and meaningful. A well-written and up-to-date job description can increase efficiency and simplicity, and furthermore, increase employee performance while reducing errors. Clear and concise expectations also promote autonomy, purpose, and confidence in the employee.

Sources
Buckingham, Marcus, and Curt W Coffman. First, Break All the Rules : What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, Gallup Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/osu/detail.action?docID=1584214.

Tyler, K. (2023a, December 21). Job worth doing: Update descriptions. Welcome to SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/job-worth-update-descriptions